Glasswing International has announced a $13.2 million grant from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation to pilot a youth service corps in Guatemala and Honduras.

Inspired by the AmeriCorps program in the United States, Glasswing's Central American Youth Corps will enable young women and men, ages 15 to 22, to have a first job experience in local community organizations, public schools, clinics, environmental groups, municipalities, and other entities working to strengthen communities in Guatemala and Honduras. The program will provide participants a six-month paid work experience alongside a year-long learning curriculum to strengthen social and emotional skills and financial competencies. Participants will become part of a youth network, through which they will have access to ongoing learning, vocational certifications, cultural and recreational opportunities, and personal and professional development.

The pilot program will train and mobilize more than 2,800 participants in its first year with plans to expand to more than 10,000 young people when brought to scale. "[T]his program will help address challenges in education, including providing learning support to young children, as well as supporting public health and environmental initiatives," said Glasswing co-founder and president Celina de Sola.

"Too many young people in Central America have few good options to improve their lives other than to join a criminal gang or take enormous risks to migrate to the United States," said Howard G. Buffett, chair and CEO of the foundation. "We should be investing in these young people and helping them create better opportunities in their home communities. If we can show success with this model, our foundation is committed to providing an additional $36 million to scale the program."

(Photo credit: Glasswing International)